Sealed, seamless box and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

A sealed, seamless box (10) that forms an RF-wave- or gas-tight enclosure is disclosed. The box of this invention includes a box body (12) formed of a single metal sheet (23) with a base panel (16) and upwardly extending side panels (18). The side panels are provided with tabs (20) that are thinner than the basic metal sheet. The tabs are seated in complementary cutouts (22) formed in the adjacent side panels. The cutouts have a depth equal to the tabs so that the side panels have a substantially uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the basic metal sheet. The tabs are secured in place by pins (30) formed integrally with the tabs that extend into openings (32) formed in the portions of the adjacent side panels that define the cutouts.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A box assembly comprising: a box body formed from a single sheet of metal having a selected thickness, said box body having a base panel, a plurality of side panels that extend upward from said base portion such that adjacent said side panels have adjacent longitudinally extending edges, and a tab extending from a selected said side panel longitudinally extending edge, wherein said tab has a thickness less than the thickness of the metal sheet, and a cutout formed in said side panel adjacent said side panel to which said tab is attached and said tab being seated in said cutout so that said tab and cutout form a corner of said box body that has a uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheet. 
     
     
       2. The box assembly of claim 14, further including a fastening means for locking said tab into said cutout. 
     
     
       3. The box assembly of claim 2, wherein said side panel to which said tab is connected has a step adjacent said tab and said adjacent panel is positioned so that said longitudinal edge of said adjacent side panel is secured between said tab and said side panel step. 
     
     
       4. The box assembly of claim 1, further including a plurality of said tabs extending from said side panel longitudinally extending edges and a plurality of said cutouts formed in said side panels adjacent said side panels with which said tabs are associated wherein said tabs are seated in said cutouts to form the corners of said box body so that said box body has a uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheet. 
     
     
       5. The box assembly of claim 4, further including a fastening means for locking said tabs into said cutouts. 
     
     
       6. The box assembly of claim 5, wherein said tabs are provided with inwardly extending pins and said side panels forming said cutouts are formed with openings coincident with said cutouts and wherein said openings are positioned so that said pins extend therethrough. 
     
     
       7. The box assembly of claim 6, wherein said pins are located in the center of said tabs and said side panel openings are in the form of holes located with said side panesl with which they are associated. 
     
     
       8. The box assembly of claim 5, wherein one of said tabs is formed with a lower edge that is parallel to the edge separating said side panel with which said tab is associated and said base panel, an intermediate edge extending upward from said lower edge, and a top longitudinal edge that extends from said intermediate edge toward the top of said tab. 
     
     
       9. The box assembly of claim 5, wherein said side panels with which said tabs are associated have a step adjacent said tabs and said adjacent panels are positioned so that said longitudinal edges of said adjacent side panels are secured between said tabs and said side panel steps. 
     
     
       10. A box body formed from a single sheet of metal having a selected thickness, comprising: a base panel; a plurality of side panels extending upward from said base panels, said side panels having longitudinally extending edges; a plurality of tab-in-cutout assemblies for securing said adjacent side panels together, each said tab-in-cutout assembly including a tab extending from a longitudinal edge of one of said side panels, said tab having a thickness less than the thickness of the metal sheet and a cutout formed in the other said side panel wherein said tab is seated in said cutout so that the box body has a substantially uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheet; and means for securing said tabs in said cutouts. 
     
     
       11. The box body of claim 10, wherein said tabs are provided with an inwardly extending pin and said side panels forming said cutouts are formed with openings coincident with said cutouts and wherein said openings are positioned so that said tab pins extend therethrough. 
     
     
       12. The box assembly of claim 10, wherein said side panels to which said tabs are connected have a step adjacent said tabs and said adjacent side panels are positioned so that said longitudinal edges of said adjacent side panels are secured between said tabs and said side panel steps. 
     
     
       13. A box assembly including: a box body formed from a single sheet of metal having a selected thickness, comprising: a base panel; a plurality of side panels extending upward from said base panels, said side panels having longitudinally extending edges and laterally extending edges; lips extending upward from said side panels laterally extending edges, said lips having a thickness less than the thickness of the metal sheet; and a plurality of tab-in-cutout assemblies for securing said adjacent side panels together, each said tab-in-cutout assembly including a tab extending from a longitudinal edge of one of said side panels, said tab having a thickness less than the thickness of the metal sheet and a cutout formed in the other said side panel wherein said tab is seated in said cutout so that the box body has a substantially uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheet, and means for securing said tab in said cutout; and   a lid formed from a single sheet of metal having a thickens equal to the thickness of the sheet of metal from which said box body is formed, said lid having a top panel and a plurality of side panels that extend downwardly from said skirt, wherein said lid side panels have a thickness less than that of the lid metal sheet so that, when said lid is fitted to said box body, said lid side panels are adjacent said box body lips, and said box body has a uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheets.   
     
     
       14. The box body of claim 13, wherein said box body tabs are provided with an inwardly extending pin and side panels forming said cutouts are formed with openings coincident with said cutouts and wherein said openings are positioned so that said tab pins extend therethrough. 
     
     
       15. The box body claim 13, wherein said box body side panels to which said tabs are connected have a step adjacent said tabs and said adjacent side panels are positioned so that said longitudinal edges of said adjacent side panels are secured between said tabs and said side panel steps. 
     
     
       16. The box assembly of claim 13, wherein said box body and said box lid are formed from a single metal sheet. 
     
     
       17. A method of forming a box body according to the process of: selectively forming a sheet of metal having a selected thickness so that said sheet of metal includes a base portion, a plurality of side portions that extend outward from said base portions such that said side portions have longitudinally extending edges, and a plurality of tabs extending from selected side panel longitudinally extending edges;   etching said tabs so that said tabs have a thickness less than the thickness of said metal sheet;   selectively etching cutouts in said side panels adjacent said side panels to which said tabs are attached, wherein said cutouts are etched in said side panels adjacent said longitudinal edges thereof and said cutouts have a depth equal to the thickness of said tabs;   bending said side panels upward so that said adjacent side panel longitudinal edges abut; and   bending said tabs around said side panel longitudinally extending edges so that said tabs are seated in said cutouts such that said side panels have a uniform thickness equal to the thickness of said metal sheet.   
     
     
       18. The method of forming a box body of claim 17, wherein the thickness of said tabs is reduced and said cutouts are formed in a single etching step. 
     
     
       19. The method of forming a box body of claim 17, further including the step of locking said tabs in said cutouts. 
     
     
       20. The method of forming a box body of claim 17, wherein said tabs are selectively etched so that each said tab is formed with an inwardly directed pin and forming an opening in said side panels in which said cutouts are formed, wherein said openings are positioned so that, when said tabs are seated in said cutouts, said tab pins extend through said openings. 
     
     
       21. The method of forming a box body of claim 17, further including the step of welding said tabs in said cutouts. 
     
     
       22. The method of forming a box body of claim 17, further including the step of soldering said tabs in said cutouts. 
     
     
       23. The method of assembly of claim 17, further including the step of forming channels in said metal sheet in said etching step wherein said channels define the edges between said box body base portion and said box body side portions. 
     
     
       24. The method of box assembly of claim 17, wherein said side panels are dimensioned so that, when said tabs are wrapped around said side panels adjacent thereto, said longitudinal edges of said adjacent side panels are disposed between said tabs and said side panels with which said tabs are associated.